External shutter control for a welder{3 s helmet

ABSTRACT

In a welder&#39;&#39;s helmet, which has a movable transparent window, it is of importance to enable the user to slide the transparent window to a position either over the eyes of the user or spaced above the eyes of the user. For this purpose the transparent window is mounted in a frame within the welder&#39;&#39;s helmet, and which can be elevated manually by means of a pivoted yoke, and which can be released by a chinstrap which controls the latch engaging the yoke.

United States Patent [72] In entor Cur T- Ma 2,050,939 Fairfield 2/8 P. O. Box 2466, Long Beach, Calif. 9080] 2,339,280 l/l9447, Madson 2/8 [2| Appl. No. 830,734 2,762,049 9/ I956 Herrick et al 2/8 [22] Filed June 5, 1969 3,095,575 7/1963 Radov 2/8 [45] Patented A g- 31,197 3,332,087 7/1967 Manz..... 2/8 3,339,207 9/1967 Perry 2/8 Primary Examiner.lames R. Boler s4 EXTERNAL SHUTTER CONTROL FOR A Attorney-Harold Dreckman WELDERS HELMET M 7 i 5 Chums Drawwg Figs ABSTRACT: In a welders helmet, which has a movable trans- [52] 1.8. CI 2/8 arent window it is of importance to enable the user to lide l Cl the transparent window to a position either over the eyes of [50] Fleld of Search 2/8, 1 l the user or aced above the eyes of the use For this pur ose 56 R f y the transparent window is mounted in a frame within the well e erences der's helmet, and which can be elevated manually by means of UNITED STATES PATENTS a pivoted yoke, and which can be released by a chinstrap l,820,506 8/1931 Stanley et al. 2/8 which controls the latch engaging the yoke.

e Z3 Z7 29 EXTERNAL SHUTTER CONTROL FOR A WELDERS HELMET An object of my invention is to provide a novel movable window for a welders helmet in which the colored pane can be elevated above the eyes of the user by means of a manually operated yoke.

Another object of my invention is to provide a novel window or shutter control in which the frame supporting the glass pane or shutter can be readily removed and replaced as required.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a novel external shutter control for the sliding glass pane, which external control can be operated from either the left or right side of the helmet.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention may appear from the accompanying drawing, the subjoined detailed description and the appended claims.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a welders helmet embodying my invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the welders helmet showing the glass shutter in raised position.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the glass pane in lowered position.

FIG. 4 isan enlarged vertical sectional view of the front face of the welders helmet.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating one end of the chinstrap mount.-

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 77 of FIG. 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates a welders helmet of usual and well-known construction, and which includes a window 2 through which the user looks. The glass window 2 is'usually formed of clear glass to protect the eyes of the user against flying particles. Since the welders helmet is also used during the welding operation, it is necessary to move a pane or shutter over the window 2 in order to protect the welders eyes from dangerous light rays which are emitted by the welders torch. In order that a glass pane or shutter of different colors may be positioned over the window 2 I provide the following track and shutter assembly consisting of a rectangular frame 3 attached to a back 4. The back 4 is provided with a lug 5 on one edge thereof and a lug 6 on the other edge. The lugs 5 and 6 engage appropriate recesses in the frame 7 which surrounds the window 2. A latch arm 8 is pivoted at one end to the frame 7 and engages the lug 6 to hold the frame 3 in position. The frame 3 is formed with an upwardly extending spring lip 9 which engages the movable window or shutter, as will be subsequently described. The frame 3 may be variably tensioned by the spring fingers l0 and 11, which are attached at one end to the frame 3 and are pressed inwardly by the screws -12 and 13 respectively.

A colored pane or shutter 14 is slidably mounted between the frame 3 and the back 4. The shutter 14 is manually raised or lowered by means of a yoke 15 which is pivotally attached at each side to the helmet l by the pivot pins 16. The outer ends of the yoke 15 project from the inner edges of the helmet l as shown at 17. It is thus possible to manually raise or lower the swinging end of the yoke 15 by pushing downwardly on the To hold the pane or shutter 14 in either raised or lowered position, I provide a bellcrank-shaped latch 23 which is pivotally secured to one side of the helmet 1. A coil spring 24 urges the bellcrank 23 in one direction, as will be subsequently described. A notch 25 in the upper end of the bellcrank 23 is engaged by the latch finger 26' when the shutter 14 is in raised position. A coil spring 27 engages the yoke 15 and urges that yoke into a position to permit lowering of the shutter 14. The spring 24 can be varied in tension by the adjustable plate 28, and the spring 27 can be similarly adjusted in tension by the plate 2 9.

To actuate the latch 23, I provide a chinstrap 30 which extends transversely across the helmet and on the inside thereof. The users-chin engages the chinstrap and can operate the same by opening his mouth, thus releasing the latch 23. The chinstrap 30 is attached at one end to the bellcrank latch 23 and extends through a guide 31 on the inside of the helmet. On the end of the chinstrap opposite the bellcrank 23 a buckle 32 is provided so that the length of the chinstrap can be adjusted to the users requirements.

IN OPERATION Thehelmet l is positioned on the headof the user in the usual manner, and is held in position by suitable head straps (not shown). The chinstrap 30 extends under the chin of the user. By pulling downwardly on either end of the yoke 15 the shutter 14 will be elevated in the track or frame 3 to permit the user to look directly through the opening 2. When it is desired to shield the eyes, the user opens his mouth which pulls down on the strap 30, thus swinging the bellcrank 23 on its pivot and releasing the latch finger 26 and permitting the spring 27 to pull the yoke 15 downwardly, thus lowering the shutter 14 in its guide frame or track and moving the colored. pane 14 in operative position. The flexible border on flap l8 permits the yoke 15 to swing in an arc and still lower the shutter 14 to move in a substantially straight vertical plane. The spring 24 tends to hold the bellcrank latch 23 in a position to be engaged by the finger 26. This is when the yoke 15 is raised. By placing tension on the chinstrap 30 the bellcrank 23 g is partly rotated and the latch elements 2526 are released to tips 7, thus sliding the shutter 14 upwardly out of the line of flap 18 has a notch 21 to receive this pin. The flap 18 is also perforated to receive a small pin 22 projecting from the yoke 15. The flap l8 is formed of a flexible material, either plastic or cloth, which can bend readily as the yoke 15 swings upwardly or downwardly. Thus the pane or shutter 14 can move in a vertical plane while attached to and motivated by the yoke. 15.

pennit the yoke 15 to swing downwardly under the tension of the spring 27. This lowers the shutter 14 into operative position. I

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a welders helmet having a sight opening therein through which the user may see, spaced tracks in said helmet adjacent the sight opening, a transparent shutter slidably mounted in said tracks, a yoke pivotally mounted in the helmet and extending arcuately from side to side of the helmet, and latch means engaging said yoke and attaching means connecting the shutter to said yoke, and a chinstrap mounted in said helmet, and means connecting one end of said strap to the latch means.

2. In a welders helmet having a sight opening therein through which the user may see, spaced tracks in said helmet adjacent the sight opening, a transparent shutter slidably mounted in said tracks, a yoke pivotally mounted in the helmet and extending arcuately from side to side of the helmet, and latch means engaging said yoke and attaching means connecting the shutter to said yoke, and spring means engaging the yoke to urge the yoke in the direction to lower said shutter over the sight opening, and a chinstrap mounted in said helmet, and means connecting one end of said strap to the latch means.

3. In a welders helmet having a sight opening therein through which the user may see, spaced tracks in said helmet adjacent the sight opening, a transparent shutter slidably mounted in said tracks, a yoke pivotally mounted in the helmet and extending arcuately from side to side of the helmet, and latch means engaging said yoke and attaching means connecting the shutter to said yoke, and each end of the yoke projecting beyond the edge of the helmet and graspable by the user.

jecting beyond the edge of the helmet and graspable by the user, and spring means engaging the yoke to urge the yoke in the direction to lower said shutter over the sight opening.

5. In a welders helmet having a sight opening therein through which the user may see, spaced tracks in said helmet adjacent the sight opening, a transparent shutter slidably mounted in said tracks, a yoke pivotally mounted in the helmet and extending arcuately from side to side of the helmet, and latch means engaging said yoke and attaching means connecting the shutter to said yoke, and each end of the yoke projecting beyond the edge of the helmet and graspable by the user, spring means engaging'the yoke to urge the yoke in the direction to lower said shutter over the sight opening, and a chinstrap mounted in said helmet, and means connecting one end of said strap to the latch means. 

1. In a welder''s helmet having a sight opening therein through which the user may see, spaced tracks in said helmet adjacent the sight opening, a transparent shutter slidably mounted in said tracks, a yoke pivotally mounted in the helmet and extending arcuately from side to side of the helmet, and latch means engaging said yoke and attaching means connecting the shutter to said yoke, and a chinstrap mounted in said helmet, and means connecting one end of said strap to the latch means.
 2. In a welder''s helmet having a sight opening therein through which the user may see, spaced tracks in said helmet adjacent the sight opening, a transparent shutter slidably mounted in said tracks, a yoke pivotally mounted in the helmet and extending arcuately from side to side of the helmet, and latch means engaging said yoke and attaching means connecting the shutter to said yoke, and spring means engaging the yoke to urge the yoke in the direction to lower said shutter over the sight opening, and a chinstrap mounted in said helmet, and means connecting one end of said strap to the latch means.
 3. In a welder''s helmet having a sight opening therein through which the user may see, spaced tracks in said helmet adjacent the sight opening, a transparent shutter slidably mounted in said tracks, a yoke pivotally mounted in the helmet and extending arcuately from side to side of the helmet, and latch means engaging said yoke and attaching means connecting the shutter to said yoke, and each end of the yoke projecting beyond the edge of the helmet and graspable by the user.
 4. In a welder''s helmet having a sight opening therein through which the user may see, spaced tracks in said helmet adjacent the sight opening, a transparent shutter slidably mounted in said tracks, a yoke pivotally mounted in the helmet and extending arcuately from side to side of the helmet, and latch means engaging said yoke and attaching means connecting the shutter to said yoke, and each end of the yoke projecting beyond the edge of the helmet and graspable by the user, and spring means engaging the yoke to urge the yoke in the direction to lower said shutter over the sight opening.
 5. In a welder''s helmet having a sight opening therein through which the user may see, spaced tracks in said helmet adjacent the sight opening, a transparent shutter slidably mounted in said tracks, a yoke pivotally mounted in the helmet and extending arcuately from side to side of the helmet, and latch means engaging said yoke and attaching means connecting the shutter to said yoke, and each end of the yoke projecting beyond the edge of the helmet and graspable by the user, spring means engaging the yoke to urge the yoke in the direction to lower said shutter over the sight opening, and a chinstrap mounted in said helmet, and means connecting one end of said strap to the latch means. 